Was reading that new cars have stretch belts because they don't have tensioners was wondering if anyone on here ever deleted the tensioners and used stretch belts!?

 

No idea what this is, but sounds like an unnecessary thing to do. I've heard of people deleting one of the pulleys that just spins nothing on our engines, and using a shorter belt though.

 

ive worked on ALOT of cars, figuring in all cars not just the performance and modified ones its easily a few thousand if not more and ive never once seen a car without a tensioner. never heard of a engine without one either, heck even the brand new lt1 from GM which is in its first year of production has a tensioner.


now as mcarther has said its pretty common to delete what is known as "idler" pulleys which pretty much is just a pulley that the belt rides on and dosnt power anything or provide tension that helps increase belt wrap so the belts dont slip but the engines still use a tensioner.

 

This is on a Subaru I know a few newer car uses these kind of belts

 

But that's just the a/c compressor not the other pulleys like the alternator crank p/s

 

interesting i definitely wouldnt trust it though to try on a engine not made for it, and like you said its not used on anything that runs 100% of the time. also seems like more work then needed with additional cost in the tools.